Oduor to present December Science Café

11/29/2010

Peter Oduor, assistant professor of geosciences, will present the next Science Café’ on Dec. 14 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Stoker’s Basement located in the Hotel Donaldson, 101 N Broadway. The session is titled “Emerald Ash Borer: What Can We Do?”

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a very small, metallic, green insect often incorrectly confused as a “fly” rather than a beetle. This destructive beetle will be a significant threat to the 78 million Ash trees growing in North Dakota. The EAB beetle is not native to the U.S. and hence has no known natural enemies in the U.S. EAB is responsible for the death or decline of tens of millions of Ash trees and an ever-increasing cost in treating infested trees. For example, on average it costs approximately (conservative underestimate) $700 to remove an infested tree. The most significant spread of EAB is human-induced when infested firewood is transported. No extensive studies have been done on the environmental impact of treatment options especially in regions prone to flooding. This talk aims to offer insight on spatial tools available for monitoring an EAB threat.

For more information, contact Keri Drinka at 1-6131, keri.drinka@ndsu.edu or visit earth.physics.ndsu.nodak.edu